Here are three green steps for November

This month we’re focusing on nature; with trees, hedges, and hedgehogs. Protecting and enhancing East Hampshire’s plants and animals will help maintain our beautiful environment and help to take carbon dioxide out of the air.

Tree week – 25 November to 3 December

National Tree Week is organised by The Tree Council and is the UK’s largest annual tree celebration. Each year, the country’s conservation sector, volunteer groups and tree-lovers come together to plant thousands of trees to mark the start of the tree planting season.

As part of Tree Week, PeCAN (Petersfield Climate Action Network) is hosting a Tree Festival at Petersfield Community Garden from 10am-3.30pm on Saturday 25 November.

Plant a fruit tree

The best time of year to plant trees is between November and March when they’re dormant and less likely to be damaged.

We’re supporting PeCAN’s Fruit Tree in Every Garden project, using funding from the government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund. With support from The Tree Council, the project will see 1,000 trees available to all East Hampshire residents for £12 each.

You can also get free hedging which provides a diverse habitat for wildlife and a natural corridor for the movement of wildlife.

If you order a tree or hedging plant, you can pick it up at the Tree Festival on Saturday 25 November.

It’s hedgehog hibernation time

Hedgehogs are a gardener’s friend. They eat beetles, slugs, worms and other invertebrates that you might not want in your garden.

Hedgehogs hibernate from November to mid-March (depending on the weather). Keep an eye out for hedgehogs in any leaf piles or compost heaps in your garden as they could be taking a snooze there.

You could set up a hedgehog house in a quiet corner of your garden which can provide a safe place for them to rest over the winter.